What is an Applied Mathematician (and Why Would You Want One Teaching You)?
Center for Legislative Studies (CLS), Auditorium
In this presentation we take an overview
of the research interests of Dr. Christopher Elmer
while getting a glimpse into exactly what is an Applied
Mathematician. Topics reviewed include
seismic exploration, phase transitions in crystalline
materials, axon potential propagation
in mammalian nerve fibers, stability of two wheeled
vehicles, and acoustics of goblet shaped drums.
Dr. Christopher Elmer, Assistant Professor of
Mathematics, specializes in differential-difference
equations and their applications to crystalline materials
and to biological structures that have a periodic
behavior. Currently, his undergraduate research focuses on
the dynamics and development of single track vehicles and
in the acoustical properties of goblet shaped drums.
Dr. Elmer earned his Ph.D. from the Colorado School of
Mines. Prior to coming to Shepherd, he was Assistant
Professor at New Jersey Institute of Technology, a NRC
postdoctoral mathematician in the Materials Science
Laboratory at the National Institutes of Standards and
Technology, and a heavy construction equipment operator in
the United States Air Force.